Telephone system.



No. 636,366l

. Patented Nov. 7, 1899.. E. P. TRAYER & DE E A. REYNOLDS.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

7 (Application filed Dec. 6, 1897.)

-1 N 0 M 0 d e l A l w INVENTORS WITNESSES:

a n. ma. my rm 1 E2 ATTORNEY norms PETERS co, PNDTOUTHO wAsHvNnTO EDWARD P. TRAYER AND DE ELBERT A. REYNOLDS,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TELEPHON E SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 636,366, dated November 7, 1899. Application filed. December 6, 1897. Serial No. 660,917 (No model.)

- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, EDWARD P. TRAYER and DE ELBERT A. REYNOLDS, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Systems, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a cheap service for people of little means, who would consider it a great saving of time and money to .be able to telephone orders to the grocer, butcher, and other tradespeople, to call the doctor, police, or fire department, and to use the telephone for other miscellaneous purposes. 7

The combination and manner of carrying out the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

The figure is a view,- mostly in diagram, of the apparatus and electrical distribution. At the left is shown the arrangement at a subscribers station, and at the right is shown enough to illustrate some of the usual apparatus at the central station. Between the two are shown several conductors arranged in parallel for connecting up several substations on the same mains. 1 1

The main lines are a b.

c is the transmitter; d, the d the primary coil of an inductorium D; e, the receiver; the subscribers battery; g, the receiver-hook or spring-operated switch, whose retractile spring is g; h, the post of the main line a; j, the post of the main line b, and '5 the ground-post.

k is a door of the box carrying all the apparatus, most of the box It being omitted.

m is the hinge for the door it, and Z Z are push-buttons passing through the door 70 and having heads upon their ends to prevent their removal, although they may be pushed inward and outward to a sufficient extent for the purpose intended. These buttons bear upon flat-spring electric terminals n and n, respectively, which can be moved by the buttons and serve alsoas retractile springs for said buttons. 1

The circuits may be traced as follows: The circuit for the transmitter starts from one pole of the battery f, through the transmitter 0, through the primary coil d to the termisecondary'and nals 0 0, which are normally open at the circuit-closer 1), carried on the telephone-hook g, and thence to the other pole of the same battery. The signal-circuit is from one pole of the central-station battery q, through the annunciator-magnet r, to the main line a, to the post h, to the pair of terminals 8 8, normally open at the circuit-closer t, carried by the telephone-hook g, and thence to ground 1', in case the other main line Z) is grounded; or, if not, from terminal 5, to the hook g, to the spring g, to the spring-terminal n, to the terminal o, against which the spring n normally presses, thento the post j, the main line. b,

the spring-jack w, and the other pole of the battery q. The receiver-circuit begins, say, at one post of the secondary coil d, then passes through the telephone-receiver e, then to the spring-terminal 'n, then to the terminal '0, against which the spring it rests, then to the post h, the line a, the operators instruments at the central station, then to the line b, then to the post j, the terminal '0, the spring n, the spring g, the hook g, the terminal 0, and finally to the other post of the secondary coil (1. The terminals as both connect with the ground-post tor ground 1', and they lie in the paths of the springs n at. 'i and 1 represent accidental grounds in the main lines. The wire may become grounded in many ways, any one of which becomes accidental; but by use of the push-buttons Zand Z the instrument may be operated over a grounded circuit.

The operation of the system is as follows: Any subscriber along the lines a. and I) removes from his hook g the telephone 6, and the hook g turns upward through the action of the spring g, bearing upon the pointy, extending from the lower edge of the said hook. The circuit-closer 2f rises and touches for an instant both of the terminals 8 and s and sends a signal-current over the metallic circuit or by a ground return, as the case may be, through the circuit already traced. The circuit-closer 2. passes on upward, leaving the terminals 8 and s free again. When the central-station operator gets the signal, she knows that it is some one calling on the main lines a, the single drop 1" serving all the subscribers on those lines. The plug 2 is then battery q being The rising of the hook g inserted, the signal 4" and thereby cut out.

causes the terminals 0 and o' to be connected to the hook and to each other, so that both the subscribers transmitter and receiver are thrown into proper circuits through the central station and with the party with whom telephonic conversation is to be held; but if it is found that conversation is not possible the subscriber should push in first one button Z and then 1 until the circuit is known to be complete. Consequently if the lines a are grounded at i or i the buttons will serve to complete the circuit through the earth, because there is a closed circuit from the calling station through one main line, through the central station, through the called station to the accidental ground on the other main line and then back through the earth to the said calling-station. The button should be pressed as long as the talking is to continue. Both buttons should not be pressed at the same time.

\Ve claim as our invention- In telephonic electrical distribution, the combination with the main-line conductors leading from the central station, of subscribers apparatus arranged in multiple arc, each apparatus consisting of a telephone-hook held down by the weight of the receiver and carrying two circuit-closers, the one if, for connecting the signal-circuit momentarily during its upward release, to the main line or ground, and the other 11, for connecting the telephonic instruments to the coils of the inductorium, whose primary is connected to a local battery, the hook being permanently connected to one main line 11 through its retractile spring r, circuit-closers n and n electrically joined respectively to the receiver and to said hook, a swinging door carrying push-buttons Z Z, passing loosely through the same, and bearing upon the said terminals n n, which lie in the path of groundterminals, and electrical conductors connecting the respective main lines to terminals o, '12, which normally bear upon the spring-terminals n, n.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names, in presence of two witnesses, this 1st day of December, 1897.

EDWARD l TRAYER. DE ELISERT A. REYNOLDS. 

